Abstract
An umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses of randomized controlled
trials (RCTs) was conducted to evaluate the existing evidence of Tai Chi as a mind-body
exercise for chronic illness management. MEDLINE/PubMed and Embase databases were
searched from inception until March 31, 2019, for meta-analyses of at least two RCTs
that investigated health outcomes associated with Tai Chi intervention. Evidence of
significant outcomes (P value < 0.05) was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development
and Evaluation (GRADE) system.
This review identified 45 meta-analyses of RCTs and calculated 142 summary estimates
among adults living with 16 types of chronic illnesses. Statistically significant
results (P value < 0.05) were identified for 81 of the 142 outcomes (57.0%), of which 45 estimates
presenting 30 unique outcomes across 14 chronic illnesses were supported by high (n = 1)
or moderate (n = 44) evidence. Moderate evidence suggests that Tai Chi intervention
improved physical functions and disease-specific outcomes compared with nonactive
controls and improved cardiorespiratory fitness compared with active controls among
adults with diverse chronic illnesses. Between-study heterogeneity and publication
bias were observed in some meta-analyses.
Keywords
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Article Info
Publication History
Published online: September 15, 2020
Footnotes
Funding: None.
Conflicts of Interest: None.
Authorship: All authors had access to the data and a role in writing this manuscript.
Identification
Copyright
© 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
